Fairy, Texas

by Margo Bond Collins

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe she really was trying to figure out who killed her boys.”

  “Think she believes it was you?”

  “Maybe.” His face grew pale. “I hope not. She likes having guys around.”

  “Students?” I asked.

  Mason nodded.

  “Like Quentin?” I asked in a flash of inspiration.

  “Yeah,” Mason said. “She and Quent were an item.”

  “Oh, gross!”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I take it Sarah doesn’t know?”

  “No.” His tone hardened. “And she doesn’t need to know, either.”

  I held up my hands in surrender. “She’s not going to find out from me.”

  Mason glared in the direction Biet had taken. He started the truck and put it into gear.

  “So what’s next?” I asked.

  “We get away from here,” he said. His pickup bounced over the speed bumps, and the tires squealed as we sped out of the high school parking lot. I grabbed the handle above the door and held my breath, as anxious as he was to get away from the school.

  * * * *

  “We’re not really going to go sell ads, are we?” I asked as Mason turned onto Main Street and finally slowed down.

  He shook his head. “No. We’re meeting Josh at Sonic.”

  Right. Because no one would ever think to look for us there. I stared out the window.

  “I don’t know who to trust,” I said quietly.

  Mason glanced at me. “I’m really sorry we didn’t tell you everything sooner, Laney.”

  “See?” I said. “That’s my problem. You say things like that, but how do I know you mean it?”

  “How do you ever know if anyone means anything they say?” He shrugged. “You just have to decide what to believe.”

  “I don’t think I want to be that cynical,” I muttered.

  “I’m not sure you get a choice.” He turned the truck into a bay at Sonic. Josh sat at one of the tables in front of the entrance, sipping an enormous Dr. Pepper.

  Mason turned the engine off. We sat in silence for a long moment. Josh stared at me through the windshield without any expression at all. He took a long pull on the straw, then set his drink down in front of him.

  I heaved a sigh and opened the door. “So are we hoping that being in public will keep Biet and Bartlef from doing something horrific?” I asked as I swung my leg over a bench and sat across from Josh at the table.

  “That’s the idea,” Mason said. He started to sit next to me, but I shook my head.

  “Uh-uh,” I said. “I want you both across from me where I can see your lying faces.”

  Mason stepped around and sat next to Josh. “Better?” he asked.

  “Not really, but it’ll have to do for now.” I crossed my arms and leaned on the table.

  “Everything go okay, man?” Josh asked Mason.

  “Not entirely,” Mason said. “Biet caught us on our way out.”

  “Say anything useful?”

  “Called me Laney’s hero.”

  “So she knows.”

  Mason lifted one shoulder. “Who knows? She might have been guessing. Not like a lot of the People are hanging out with Laney.” Again, I heard the capital letter in the word.

  Josh nodded. “Okay,” he said, leaning in toward me. He reached out to touch me. I pulled my arms off the table and in toward my body without uncrossing them.

  “Dad and I’ve been talking,” he said, drawing his own hand back and dropping it into his lap. “We think our best bet right now is to make Bartlef and Biet think that we’re playing their game.”

  “Really?” Mason sounded surprised.

  “As long as they think Laney might still be the Yatah, then she’s safe. We could probably keep them going for a couple of months. Buy some time.”

  “Wait a minute,” I said, holding one finger up in the air. “How exactly are we going to do that?”

  “Well,” said Josh. He didn’t look at me as he spoke. “The idea is to let them think that one of us—”

  “—or both,” Mason interrupted, grinning wickedly.

  Josh nodded. “Or both of us, are . . . you know. . .” His cheeks turned pink. “Trying to fulfill the prophecy.”

  “Right. That doesn’t answer my question of how we do that.”

  “Well,” said Mason, “The easiest way to do it is to put out the rumor that we’re . . . you know . . . doing it.”

  “No,” I said. “Absolutely not.”

  Josh grinned too. “Come on, Laney,” he said. “It’ll be fun.”

  “Fun. Making everyone think that I’m sleeping with one of you—”

  “Or both!” they said at the same time.

  “No,” I groaned. I leaned forward and tapped my forehead on the table several times, then left it there. “So my job is to make everyone in school think that I’m the biggest slut in all of Fairy history?” The table muffled my voice a bit.

  “It’s more than a job,” Josh said. “I think it might be your destiny.”

  “And that wouldn’t make you the biggest slut in Fairy history,” added Mason. “Maybe, what?” He looked at Josh. “Third?”

  “Sure,” said Josh. “Third. Maybe even fourth.”

  “Oh well, then,” I said. I raised my head. “In that case, let’s get right to it.”

  Both boys grinned at me.

  “And by ‘it’ I mean planning. God. You are both such guys.”

  Their grins turned to chuckles.

  And we began plotting the demise of what little remained of any chance I’d ever had of a positive high school experience in Fairy, Texas.

  * * * *

  Step one involved convincing Kayla that Mason and I were together. I almost felt bad about it, and I’m pretty sure I saw Mason grimace when Josh first suggested it, but he agreed readily enough.

  Now that I had seen them together more, it was clear to me that Josh was the leader of this pair. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, given that Josh had expended a lot of effort trying to convince me that he and Mason were rivals. Of course, Mason had worked pretty hard to make it convincing, too.

  I stared back and forth between the two of them, trying to figure out how much of what had happened with each of them had been real, how much part of the fiction I was now helping weave.

  “Laney,” Josh said, snapping his fingers in front of my nose. “Pay attention.”

  I grabbed the finger. “Don’t snap at me,” I snarled. “I’m right here.”

  He took his hand back, and continued in a mild tone. “We already know from experience that Kayla has a big mouth when it comes to you two.”

  “And she’ll take any chance she can get to make sure I stay in trouble with both our parents,” I added.

  “So you two need to make sure she sees you,” he said. “And make it convincing.”

  “Won’t be too difficult,” Mason grinned.

  Josh ducked his head so I couldn’t see his expression. Did it bother him that he was telling me to go smooch on his friend? I couldn’t tell.

  “Then what?” I asked.

  “Then you and I will arrange to be seen, too,” Josh said.

  “Who will see us?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know yet,” he said. “It needs to be someone who will talk about it, too.”

  “Ally,” I said. “She’s totally fascinated with this little triangle.”

  “Good,” Josh said.

  “So what do we say if anyone saw us out here today?” I asked.

  Josh looked around. “What?” he asked, an innocent expression on his face. “You’re seeing both of us? No way! And you were sitting at a table with us both, acting like it was nothing!” He opened his mouth in an expression of mock horror. “No!”

  I had to giggle. The situation was preposterous. “Okay, okay. I get it.”

  “Well, then,” said Mason, “We've got thirty minutes left. Let’s go sell an ad or two
, and then go make it . . .” He paused and leered. “I mean, make it look good—for Kayla.”

  “Ugh,” I groaned. “You two are going to be impossible, aren’t you?”

  Mason snickered and Josh grinned. “How much longer are you grounded?” Josh asked.

  “Just until tomorrow,” I said. “For now, anyway. We’ll see how much that gets extended once we start our shenanigans.”

  “So let’s say we have a date for tomorrow night,” he said. “I’ll pick you up at eight.”

  “Perfect,” I said, sighing.

  * * * *

  When we got back into Mason’s truck, I discovered that I was strangely nervous. In fact I was more nervous now that I knew we were going to be kissing soon than I had been when Josh had warned me that Mason was going to try to seduce me and I had just suspected that we would be kissing.

  “So,” I said, my voice trembling a bit. I hoped Mason didn’t notice. “Where do you want to go first?”

  “Huh?” Mason turned to face me with a jerk. “Oh. You mean to sell an ad?”

  Well. Maybe he was nervous, too. I laughed shakily. “Yes. To sell an ad.” It was easier to contemplate ad-selling than kissing.

  And that’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.

  “I think we should hit up your step-dad,” he said.

  “John?” I asked in surprise.

  “Sure,” Mason said. “He always buys a full page.”

  I shook my head. “I’d really rather not,” I said. “Besides, don’t you think Kayla’s probably got the lock on that one?”

  “Oh. Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he said. “Then let’s go get one of the gas companies,” he said. “Deirdre Newman’s mom is the office manager at one—I bet she’d buy.”

  When we pulled up into John’s driveway, Kayla’s car was there. Mason turned off the truck, then swiveled in his seat to face me.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

  He took a deep breath. “Maybe this will help,” he said. Then he shimmered, and for just a second I could see through to the gauzy ethereal plane where his dark blue wings spread out behind him. His breathing steadied and he reached toward me. I felt myself drawn toward him.

  “Oh,” I said, my voice full of wonder. “This is a glamour again, isn’t it?”

  “Thought it might help,” he said quietly, his lips only centimeters from mine.

  “It does,” I breathed, and then we were kissing, and I forgot that it was an act.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Well,” I finally said, pausing to take a breath. “That was convincing.”

  “I’m convinced,” Mason muttered, his breathing ragged. He kept his arms wrapped around me.

  “Think she saw us?” I asked.

  He looked out the window past me. “She’s watching,” he said. “Better make it really good.” He pulled me up almost onto his lap and kissed me again. By the time we stopped, I was dizzy.

  “Oh, my,” I said.

  “Yeah,” he agreed.

  We both laughed shakily.

  “Okay, then,” I said, suddenly shy again. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?” I started trying to untwine my arms; somehow they’d ended up wound around his neck.

  “Sure,” he said, trying to move me back to my seat. We both moved at the same time, and bumped foreheads.

  “Ow!” we said at the same time. And then we were laughing hysterically. Mason opened the door on his side and tumbled out onto the ground, somehow landing on his feet. He pulled me out after him. I scrabbled for my backpack, and managed to snag it just before he caught me and set me on my feet. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I hoped I wasn’t getting a bump.

  “There,” he said, glancing at the house again. “That ought to just about do it.”

  “See you tomorrow,” I said again. He smiled, and waited until I’d gotten into the house to jump back in the pickup and start it up.

  I heard Kayla’s door slam as I moved into the living room.

  Mission accomplished.

  Phase One complete. Step-sister now a confirmed enemy. Not that there had been any hope that Kayla and I might ever get along.

  I heaved a sigh and went to my own room, shutting the door quietly behind me. And I did not drift off to sleep that night remembering Mason’s kiss. Nope. Not me.

  * * * *

  Phase Two began in English class the next day. Josh and I got there a little early, and made sure we were deep in whispered conversation when Ally arrived. She slid into her seat just as Josh said casually, “So I’ll pick you up at eight-thirty?”

  I smiled hugely and said, “I can’t wait.” Josh looked smug.

  We passed notes back and forth all class period. They didn’t say anything, really; they were just designed to keep Ally’s attention on us.

  And it worked. She followed us out of class, and waited for roughly half a second after Josh squeezed my hand and, with a slightly goofy smile, headed off to his next class.

  “Hey!” Ally said. “So you two got it worked out?”

  “I think so,” I said.

  “What about Mason?”

  I didn’t have to fake the blush that came to my cheeks.

  “Whoa! Laney! What’s up, girlfriend?”

  I shook my head. “Nothing, Ally.” I didn’t sound convincing, even to myself.

  And Kayla came through beautifully, too. By lunch, Ally had heard all about the steamy session in Mason’s truck when he’d dropped me off at home the day before. She was in the middle of recounting it to the rest of our lunch table when I got there from the gym. Her back was to me, so she didn’t see me approaching.

  “And in English, she set up a date with Josh!” she said in the almost-whisper of the true gossip hound.

  Everyone else turned guilty eyes toward me. Ally swiveled around slowly. “Oh, hi, Laney!” she said too brightly.

  “Hi, yourself,” I said in my driest tone.

  “Come sit over here,” Sarah said, indicating a seat next to her. Natalie sniffed and turned toward Scott so that her back was to me and Sarah.

  “So,” Ally continued in that same overly friendly tone, “what are you and Josh doing tonight?”

  “Going to a movie, I think,” I said, glad that Ally had given me the opening I needed. “He’s picking me up at eight-thirty, and I think we’re going to go to the nine o’clock show.”

  “Really?” Ally said. “Because Andrew and Scott and Natalie and I were thinking about going to the movies tonight, too!”

  Yeah. Right.

  “Well, maybe we’ll see you there,” I said.

  “What are you going to see?” she asked.

  I told her. Bait taken. Phase Two complete.

  Mason was waiting for me inside the yearbook room, which was buzzing with conversation when I got there. The conversation died as soon as I stepped into the room.

  “Ready?” I asked him, ignoring Kayla’s snarl.

  “We’re out of here, Mr. C,” he called. Carlson waved his pen at us without looking up.

  “Sounds like we’re on track,” I said, once we were in the parking lot.

  “Yep,” Mason grinned. “It’s amazing how many people wanted to help me out today by letting me know that you and Josh had a date tonight.”

  “What did you say when they told you?”

  He opened his hands in front of him, then let them fall. “Different things. Same meanings, though. It’s a free country; you can go out with anyone you want to. None of my business. You and I are purely casual.”

  The lead weight was back in my stomach. “It’s really pretty amazing to me how many people are willing to think the worst of me.”

  “It’s a small town, Laney. Not much to do but gossip. Don’t let it get to you.”

  “I know. It’s just . . .”

  “Just what?”

  “I know it’s going to get worse before it gets better, and I’m only a sophomore. I’ve got three mor
e years here.”

  He opened the door to his truck and handed me in, then went around to the other side and climbed in before he answered. “I know it’s hard, Laney.” His voice lowered. “Believe me, I really do understand. But it’s this or . . . well, you know what the ‘or’ is—something much, much worse for you and everyone else.”

  “So I’m the sacrifice for the rest of humanity,” I said bitterly.

  “Not all of you,” Mason said with a sudden grin. “Just your reputation.”

  “Fan-frickin’-tastic,” I muttered.

  He smiled more gently and reached out to squeeze my hand. “It’ll be okay. Josh and I are watching out for you. You’re in good hands.”

  Yes, yes I am, I thought. And that was part of the problem.

  * * * *

  Phase Three started at the movie theater. Josh had picked me up at eight-thirty, and we drove to the small four-screen Cineplex. We bought our tickets to the latest action thriller and then hung out in the lobby, ostensibly—and ostentatiously—buying popcorn and candy and even stopping to play a video game.

  “Finally,” Josh muttered under his breath as he purposely let his game character die. “The rest of the crew is here.” Natalie and Scott came in holding hands while Sarah and Ally followed, both looking around the lobby for us. Josh took my hand and led me down the hallway.

  We made our way into the theater and sat down about half-way up from the screen. “How much do you want to bet that they sit behind us so they can watch us?” Josh whispered.

  I shook my head. “No way I’m taking that bet.”

  He was right, of course.

  We waited until ten minutes into the movie. Then Josh leaned over to me and whispered into my ear. “Ready for this?”

  I took a deep breath and nodded. In the reflected light of the screen, I saw his lips curve into a smile. The light blended into his eyes, the colors a perfect match. Casually, he slipped his arm around my shoulder and tucked me in close to him. I leaned my head on his shoulder. He turned his head and buried his nose in my hair.

  “I can’t risk a glamour with you,” he whispered almost noiselessly. “We can’t risk glowing.”

  I wondered how much Mason had told him about our kisses.